Father
Michael Oleksa, who gave a presentation during the training for listeners,
pointed out that even when Natives and non-Natives think we are speaking
the same language, we aren’t. As an example, he gave the word ‘animal.’

To most
non-Native people, the word means animals other than humans, and carries
the connotation that animals are less than human. In Alaska Native cultures,
animals are equal to human beings in status, and must be treated correctly.
Hunting success, survival, depends on animals giving themselves to hunters,
and the animals will not give themselves to disrespectful people. A
hunter or community that behaves wrongly toward other animals will suffer
direct repercussions of that behavior.

He illustrated
the difference between the two cultures with children’s stories. In
Western stories, the hero is rescued from an animal shape cast onto
him by evil influence. In Alaska Native tales, transformation into an
animal form is often the hero’s happy ending. “He was rescued from being
a frog, became human again and lived happily ever after,” versus, “After
many trials he was transformed into a muskrat and lived happily ever
after.”